Lunch Counter Desegregation in San Antonio
1960 marked an important victory in the campaign to integrate popular lunch counters in downtown San Antonio.
Who was Mary Lillian Andrews?
Mary Lillian Andrews was a 17-year-old student from Our Lady of the Lake University and president of the San Antonio NAACP Youth Council. She was instrumental in the movement for integration. She sent the following letter to multiple store managers, urging them to integrate.
Who was Mary Lillian Andrews?
Mary Lillian Andrews, like many others, was attempting to make a difference. See her (center) enjoying lunch with a friend during a sitdown demonstration.
Anti-Discrimination Campaign
Harry V. Burns, NAACP State Youth Director, helped organize a campaign against discrimination and other Black leaders followed suit. Reverends Claude Black and S.H. James mobilized their congregations.
Man Reading Newspaper (20th Century) by Express-NewsSan Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum
Black Resistance
A man reading the headlines about lunch counter integration, San Antonio, March 1960.
Community
The community came together with the goal of equality. In this photograph, an employee serving patrons at a lunch counter, San Antonio, March 1960.
Ongoing Struggle
The stores that agreed to desegregate were Woolworth, Kress, Neisner's, Green, Grant's, McCrory's and Sommers Drug Stores. Sears, Roebuck & Co had already been serving all members of the community, while Joske's claimed that they were awaiting a decision from their headquarters.
Resilience
A young student looks inside the door of the Woolworth store, San Antonio, March 1960.
Cafeteria Line 4 (20th Century) by Express-NewsSan Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum
A Part of the Larger Civil Rights Movement
"The progress African Americans made in San Antonio between 1954 and 1957 was astounding. Golf courses and tennis courts were desegregated in 1954. By 1957, public facilities such as pools and public recreational facilities were also desegregated." - Carey H. Latimore, Ph. D.
"People have more fears than actual problems."
The quote above is by baseball legend and barrier breaker, Jackie Robinson. He visited San Antonio shortly after news spread of the community's desegregation efforts.
Jackie Robinson and San Antonio
He believed San Antonio would set an example for other cities in the ongoing fight for civil rights. He continued his support and encouraged others to follow.
Making History
Although the lunch counter desegregation of 1960 was not the first or last civil rights campaign for Black San Antonians, the event was important because it continued to inspire movements around the country.
Downtown Sanborn Map 1952 (20th Century) by Sanborn MapSan Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum
Take a Look
Click the link below to see which lunch counters desegregated on March 16, 1960, versus the ones that did not. Explore each location for additional images and information. Digital StoryMap by Professor Erik Anderson, San Antonio College.
This exhibit was brought to you by the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum. Scan to visit SAAACAM online.
StoryMaps Link
Citations
1.) Andrews, U. J. San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 49, Ed. 1 Friday, March 11, 1960, newspaper, March 11, 1960; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth399891/m1/1/?q=%22mary%20lillian%20andrews%22: accessed January 30, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections. and SA Convervation Society 2.) https://www.saconservation.org/announcements/anniversary-of-lunch-counter-integration/
3.) https://digital.utsa.edu/digital/collection/p16018coll13/id/231/rec/18
4.) https://www.thealamo.org/fileadmin/assets/support/research_and_studies/civil-rights-in-sa-wwii-to-1960s.pdf
